


The Abstract Routine of Love

by RedLipped



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-23
Updated: 2015-04-23
Packaged: 2018-03-25 11:18:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3808390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedLipped/pseuds/RedLipped
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Michael's communication of his love for Gavin was often abstract, and it took Gavin a very long time to realize and appreciate it fully.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Abstract Routine of Love

**Author's Note:**

> this has been sitting in my documents for like a month and i totally forgot it was fully completed until right now.  
> either way, better late than never!

Gavin was used to hearing Michael tell him that he loved him. Whether it was a casual reminder throughout the day or a passionate confession between the sheets at night, the words frequently passed through Michael's lips. Gavin returned the phrase, as he always would.

But Gavin often found himself unable to return the alternate ways Michael would express his love. As with every relationship, not everything was always straightforward. Michael had endless ways to say those three words. Sometimes, he would gently remind Gavin that he loved him in a way that the English boy wouldn't fully appreciate until later in the day, as he absentmindedly reflected on their most recent conversation.

It did not always involve a display of affection toward each other. They could be in the middle of public and Michael would still find a way to express his fondness.

Michael's communication of his love for Gavin was often abstract, and it took Gavin a very long time to realize and appreciate it fully.

  
  


I  — _“Are you still hungry?”_

On a bright and sunny Thursday afternoon, Michael and Gavin were on a typical lunch date. It wasn't anything fancy; just a small trip to McDonald's. They had both ordered burgers and were eating in comfortable silence.

Gavin would frequently get caught staring at Michael, as he always did. He found himself mesmerized by Michael's facial expressions in average situations. He memorized the location of every single freckle spread out on the boy's cheeks. On this Earth, Michael was one of his favourite views. The 8th Wonder of the World, in his mind. He had a habit of not breaking his stare until Michael, or someone around them, snapped him out of his trance.

On this day, Michael stared back at Gavin in confusion, messily wiping his hand around his mouth.

“Do I have food on my face?”

Gavin snapped out it, smiling softly and shaking his head.

“No, boi, you look fine.”

Michael winked. “Of course I do.”

When he had finally finished eating, Gavin's stomach wasn't completely satisfied. They had to get back to work or else they would be late, and while that wasn't exactly a drastic concern, Geoff had planned an afternoon of filming which they couldn't miss.

He sent longing glances toward the remains of Michael's burger and toward the menu behind the cash register. His mouth practically watered. He was still incredibly hungry and the scent of greasy fried food flowing through the room wasn't making his predicament any easier.

Michael finished the final bite of his burger and the last of his fries, then gulped down his drink until Gavin could hear the slurping noise of the air in the straw.

“Let's head back now,” Michael said, standing up to throw out his garbage.

Gavin winced. He wanted more food. The seemingly bottomless pit in his stomach wasn't full in the slightest.

Normally he wouldn't have a problem with buying another burger to take back to the office with him, but Michael had told him to leave his wallet behind before they left, insisting that this lunch date would be covered by him. Gavin felt guilty for wanting more food if Michael was paying.

_I could always pay him back,_ Gavin started to wonder, eyeing up the menu again and licking his lips.

Michael stood in front of him, blocking his view. Gavin stared up at him with a perfected look of innocence.

“Are you still hungry?” Michael asked, despite already knowing the answer. He knew Gavin's body language like the back of his hand.

Gavin flushed a light shade of pink, looked down at Michael's shoes, and nodded. Michael grabbed his hand and pulled him up from his chair and into a standing position.

“You could have just asked, Gav. I'll buy you whatever you want.”

A smile spread along Gavin's cheeks.

“I just didn't want to be a bother.”

“You're never a bother,” Michael urged, dragging him gently toward the cash register.

They waited in line until Gavin placed another order, this time opting for a chicken sandwich of some kind. He didn't really care about the contents as long as it was food in his stomach.

Michael had no problem paying, silencing Gavin's insistence that he would pay him back. A two dollar meal wouldn't hurt Michael's bank account.

On the ride back to the office, Gavin chomped happily on his sandwich and his fries, ignoring Michael's repetitive threatening of violence if he gets any stains on the interior of his car.

  
  


II — _“Don't worry, I'll take care of it for you.”_

Gavin slammed his fists against his desk for the 6 th time that day. It was a typical Monday, the kind of Monday people will complain about until the end of time. Everything that could possibly go wrong was going wrong and Gavin was getting increasingly more frustrated by the minute. The weather was gross and rainy, the wind was loud, and the unfortunate events of his morning just made it all look even uglier.

During breakfast, he had poured orange juice into his cereal instead of milk. At work, he had dropped his favourite coffee mug in the break room, shattering the ceramic all over the floor tiles. His editing software had frozen and crashed four times in the middle of a fairly large video. And now, he discovered that Ray's audio track for the Lets Play he was editing had been corrupted.

His head was beginning to throb with a headache, probably induced by his own anger. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

Gavin felt a hand on his shoulder, and when he looked to his left, Michael was staring at him with concern etched onto his features.

“What's wrong this time?” he asked.

“Ray's audio is corrupted,” Gavin mumbled.

Michael glanced between Gavin and his computer monitor once before smiling softly.

“Why don't you send me the files and let me handle this one?” he offered.

Gavin stared at him dumbly. “And I'll sit here and just do nothing?”

“You can answer emails or work on a Slow Mo video or whatever.” Michael smirked.

Gavin blinked. It would give him time to work on the video he needed to upload tomorrow. More importantly, it would take this dreaded editing task off of his hands.

“Are you sure?”

“Don't worry, I'll take care of it for you.”

With that, Michael turned back to his monitor. Gavin smiled at him, even though Michael was no longer looking in his direction.

Gavin was endlessly grateful for Michael's ability to take his distress and make it disappear, no matter the situation. Having Michael by his side every day made everything so much easier. His unfortunate Monday was brightened significantly by one small offer of assistance.

As if it were synced with his moods, the sun began to shine outside.

  
  


III —  _ “Call me when you get there.” _

Gavin hated goodbyes. No matter whether he was only saying goodbye for a week, a few months, or forever. He hated saying goodbye and he hated the awkward experience of walking away from someone.

Unfortunately, he needed to return to England to film another batch of Slow Mo Guys videos with Dan. It would be a fair bit of work, but filming was always an enjoyable experience. He was also given the opportunity to work with a well-known car company for an advertisement. The money was good, and he wasn't exactly eager to give up the chance.

He also wasn't exactly eager to give up Michael for a week.

The older boy had driven him to the airport at 4 AM. Michael was always a morning person, but he had extreme difficulty getting out of bed on this morning. He complained and blamed it on Gavin's choice of booking such an early flight, but honestly, he just didn't want to say goodbye either. Gavin knew this fact without Michael having to express it himself.

They stood before the security gates together, dreading the upcoming moments. Their hands were clasped tightly together, both slightly sweating.

Gavin faced Michael and inhaled deeply. He hated this part. He relied so heavily on Michael every day that spending a week without him would feel like an eternity. It always did.

“I hate this part,” Michael echoed Gavin's own thoughts.

Gavin smiled sadly. “So do I.”

“At least you'll be home in a week, right?”

“A week takes so long to pass though,” Gavin whined.

Michael chuckled. “It'll go faster than you think. You'll be home in bed with me sooner than you know it.”

Gavin sighed. He knew Michael was right. A week was only 168 hours. He could survive that long without his boy. They had done it plenty of times before, and they would do it again in the future. That didn't make the goodbyes any easier, however.

Michael wrapped his arms around Gavin's neck, embracing him tightly. Gavin's eyes fluttered closed and he squeezed his boyfriend, unwilling to let him go. Realistically he knew he had to, but he certainly didn't want to.

They held each other in the middle of the crowded airport for a few minutes, until Michael pulled back and forced them to split apart.

“If you don't leave now, you'll miss your flight.”

Gavin didn't even need to check his watch to know that Michael was right. He nodded and pouted.

“Call me when you get there,” Michael reminded him. Gavin had a horrible habit of forgetting to call.

“Of course I will, my little Michael.”

Michael leaned forward and pressed their lips together. They both got slightly caught up in what would be their last kiss for a week.

Gavin pulled away suddenly, knowing he would wind up being late.

Michael understood, and they embraced once more, mumbling “I love you”s and “I'll miss you”s.

Gavin reluctantly turned and headed toward security. Shockingly enough, he was pleased with the moment they had shared, despite the circumstances.

Not once had either of them uttered a “goodbye”.

  
  


IV —  _ “How much sleep did you get last night?” _

To Gavin, it felt as though his day was never going to end. He had fallen asleep at 6 AM, after struggling for hours with inexplicable insomnia. His alarm blared at 8 AM, waking him from the little amount of sleep he had managed to get.

He had already fallen asleep at his desk a handful of times, only awoken by someone entering or exiting the office. The rest of the Achievement Hunter employees were very generous and remained as quiet as possible, at least for a while. Unfortunately, the silent peace had to be broken once Geoff reminded the group that they needed to record a Things To Do.

Gavin groaned but ultimately agreed. In the middle of the video, he was very obviously distracted with trying to calculate a potential time for a nap. He misheard instructions, made repetitive mistakes, and blew up too many vehicles. The rest of the men in the room played it off as Gavin being Gavin, like usual, but they all knew the boy was exhausted.

To add to his problems, after that recording, they needed to film another two videos in GTA before the end of the work day. In the middle of their gameplay, Gavin fell asleep with his forehead resting against his microphone. Michael was the first to notice.

The audio went eerily quiet as Michael whispered to get the attention of the rest of the crew. One by one, the remaining four men glanced over toward Gavin and smiled at his sleeping state. While they turned back to their screens to continue with the game, Michael let his character go idle and stood up from his seat. He reached forward and gently took Gavin's controller from his hands and placed it quietly on his desk. He bent over and wrapped one arm under Gavin's knees and the other across his back.

Gavin jolted awake in a slight panic at the feeling of being moved. He had a brief moment of being completely unaware of where he currently was, but that disappeared once he saw Michael looking down at him. He felt himself being lifted out of his chair, and in any other situation he would have flailed around and refused to be carried, but he was simply too tired to care.

Michael carried him across the room and delicately placed him down onto the smooth, white couch. Gavin's long legs folded up so he could fit comfortably. Michael disappeared for a brief moment, but once he returned, Gavin felt a soft blanket being placed over his body. Michael knelt down beside the couch.

“How much sleep did you get last night?” he asked in a hushed tone. He didn't want their conversation to be picked up by the microphones.

Gavin shrugged and yawned simultaneously. “Not very much. I had a lot of trouble falling asleep.”

Michael nodded. “I noticed. You were tossing and turning all night.”

Gavin distinctly remembered watching Michael's sleeping form with jealousy for minutes at a time. The older boy rarely had problems falling asleep and he was always happy to get out of bed in the mornings. Gavin, on the other hand, could never fall asleep at an appropriate time and often found himself sleeping in until the very last possible moment.

“Take a nap, boi,” Michael whispered, leaning forward to press a soft kiss to Gavin's forehead.

Gavin's eyes closed and he curled up under the warm blanket. Michael returned to his desk and joined back in on the recording. After 15 minutes, Gavin's GTA Online character was kicked from the session for idling too long.

It didn't matter, anyway. Gavin drifted off, lulled to sleep by the laughter and chatter of his friends.

  
  


V —  _ “Call me, please.” _

Gavin rolled over and groaned, awoken to the feeling of a headache pulsing through his brain. He tried to recall the events of the previous night, but everything seemed ridiculously fuzzy.

He remembered going out for drinks with Geoff and Griffon. The three of them, the good old G3, had decided to go on a pub crawl downtown.

As usual after a night of drinking, Gavin was filled with regret. He could feel his heartbeat pulsing through his brain, his eyes hurt, and the sunlight streaming through the living room window of the Ramsey house was rapidly driving him insane.

_ The Ramsey house, _ he realized.

He fully took in his surroundings, noticing that he was on the couch in their living room and covered in a thick fleece blanket, which he assumed was provided by Griffon. He felt around in the sheets, trying to find his phone to hopefully clear up some of the confusion in his head. He thought it was Saturday, but he wasn't even entirely sure of the date, let alone the time of day.

He leaned over the side of the couch and his eyes landed on his phone, which had fallen sometime during the night. He cursed quietly and picked it up, checking it over for any scratches or dents that may have resulted from its fall to the floor.

He pressed down on the button to unlock his phone and nearly choked at the notification for 12 missed calls and 6 text messages, all from Michael.

He scrolled through them, feeling his guilt swallow him whole as he read the messages.

>>Boi <3 [12:56 AM]: Do you need me to come get you yet?

>>Boi <3 [1:07 AM]: Gav??

>>Boi <3 [1:23 AM]: If you're ignoring me on purpose I'm gonna kick your ass

>>Boi <3 [1:42 AM]: I swear to god, Gavin, if you're drunk off your ass and fucking some random guy I'm going to have to kill you

>>Boi <3 [1:48 AM]: I still haven't forgotten that one time and you fucking know it.

>>Boi <3 [2:13 AM]: Call me, please.

Gavin panicked, swiping on his phone and tapping a few icons until Michael's caller ID was displaying on his screen as his phone dialed his number. He nervously patted his left hand along his chest, absentmindedly bouncing his leg.

The phone stopped ringing, signalling that Michael had answered the call. Gavin could hear the boy's level breathing on the other end, but Michael didn't utter a word.

“Michael?”

“You're a fucking asshole.”

Gavin cringed. “Michael, I'm so sorry. I must have had my phone on silent last night. I literally can't remember a thing.”

“It's not just you I'm mad at.” Michael's tone was threatening, “I also texted Geoff and Griffon a bunch of times and neither of them answered me either.”

Before Gavin could defend his pseudo-parents, Michael added, “What the fuck happened last night, Gavin?”

Gavin shrugged before realizing Michael couldn't see him. “We went bar hopping. Had a few bevs. Then more bevs. And more bevs. And, well, you get the idea.”

“You could have at least answered my messages, Gavin. You know how worried I get, especially after-”

“After that one time, I know. I'm still sorry about that.”

Ignoring the fact that he wanted to forget the memory entirely, Gavin's brain flashed back to a night a few months ago when he had been out for drinks with Geoff and Griffon. He had lost sight of them both in the crowded room and wandered up by the bar to take a seat. Impaired by the alcohol flowing through his bloodstream, Gavin ended up chatting up a complete stranger, who seemed extremely interested in him from the moment he opened his mouth.

The man was very attractive and Gavin could remember his strong jawline and intense brown eyes. Those eyes had reminded him of Michael, but he was too drunk to see beyond the man in front of him, and moments later he found himself pinned to a wall outside of the bathroom doors. He remembered the feeling of rough lips smashing against his own, and he remembered it feeling wrong, because only Michael's lips felt right.

The heated make-out session with the stranger had come to an end sooner than it began when Michael stormed into the bar and went looking for him. Gavin understood why Michael would be concerned about the same event happening again. After all, the bruising along his knuckles had taken a few weeks to completely heal.

Gavin snapped out of his memory, listening to Michael's words.

“Where did you stay last night?”

“At the Ramsey's. Can you come pick me up?”

Gavin knew that on the other end of their call, Michael was smiling.

“Of course. I'll be there in a few minutes.”

  
  


VI —  _ “Thank you.” _

On a lazy Sunday morning, Gavin was lying face-down on his pillow and gradually opened his eyes to adjust to the sunlight streaming through their bedroom window. The sun's rays illuminated and warmed the tanned skin on his bare back. He wondered why the bed sheets and blankets had been kicked to the bottom of the bed, pooling around his ankles. He was relatively warm anyway, so he didn't mind, but Michael typically slept with the blankets curled up around his neck.

Gavin rolled over and looked at what he assumed would be an empty spot beside him. Michael always woke up bright and early, he never slept in. However, on this morning, Michael was spread out on the sheets beside him. He stared at him in confusion, knowing it had to be past 10 o'clock. His eyes focused on Michael's body and noticed the boy was shivering.

Gavin sat up quickly and pulled the blankets from the bottom of the bed to wrap around Michael's shaking form. Michael groaned in protest and tried to push them away.

“Fuck off, Gavin,” he croaked. His throat sounded sore and made Gavin cringe.

“Aww, boi, are you sick?”

“I'm just really warm.”

“But you're shaking, Michael.”

Gavin pressed the back of his hand to Michael's forehead. It was abnormally hot, and he stared down at him with a look of sympathy. Michael coughed weakly, tying the metaphorical bow on Gavin's box of concern.

Gavin crawled out of bed on his side, placing his feet firmly on the soft carpet. His goal for the day was to nurse Michael back to health. Out of all the times Michael has helped him in the past, Gavin finally had the opportunity to help him in return.

He exited their bedroom and headed directly for the kitchen. He pulled open the pantry and scanned through the items on the shelves, eyes lighting up when he spotted exactly what he had been looking for: canned chicken noodle soup.

As a child, his mother always made him soup when he was feeling ill. It seemed to do the trick and frequently made him feel better, although his mother used to claim that was due to “a mother's love”. In the back of Gavin's mind, he hoped his own love was good enough.

He opened the can and dumped it into a pot on the stove, adding the appropriate amount of water and turning on the element. He made sure to stir the hot liquid as the minutes passed. Once it began to bubble, he turned off the burner. He let the pot sit on the stove while he got a small plate from the cabinet, which he lined with crackers. Then, he poured the soup from the pot into a bowl. He stuck a spoon inside the liquid and carried both the plate and the bowl back to their bedroom.

He entered the room and stood directly beside the boy lying in the bed. Michael slowly looked up at him, smiling softly.

“I brought you soup!” Gavin chirped. He was 100% too happy for Michael at the moment, but Michael didn't mind. His stomach growled and he appreciated his boy's kindness more than anything.

He eased himself into a sitting position and took the bowl of soup from Gavin's hand. Gavin placed the plate of crackers down on the bed in front of him.

Michael greedily began eating his soup, making obnoxious slurping noises with every spoonful. Even while sick, he still found a way to playfully get on Gavin's nerves. Gavin rolled his eyes, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

Despite the fact that his stomach was beginning to feel full, Michael felt as though his energy levels were dropping. He gradually noticed as each spoonful felt heavier, and his eyes ached. He felt exhausted.

Fortunately, Gavin noticed. He took the spoon from Michael's hand and began feeding him. At first, Michael spluttered and pulled away.

“You're not fucking feeding me, Gavin. I'm not five.”

“I want to take care of you, my little Michael.”

Michael wouldn't deny that. He parted his lips and allowed Gavin to feed him until the bowl was empty. He could feel the warmth of the soup as it settled in his stomach. Gavin placed the empty bowl on the small night table beside Michael's pillow, along with the untouched plate of crackers. If Michael woke up hungry later, they would potentially come in handy.

Gavin pushed against Michael's shoulders, and Michael was confused until he realized that Gavin was forcing him to lie down again.

“You need to rest, boi.”

Michael sighed, feeling the tiredness and ache in his body grow as he made himself comfortable underneath the bed sheets again. He watched Gavin walk to the other side of their bed and crawl in beside him. He felt the familiar touch of Gavin's hand running through his hair, patting down his unruly curls. He gave into the gentle touch, finding it soothing and comforting in his sick state, and shut his eyes.

“Thank you,” Michael murmured, before drifting off to sleep in an instant.

Gavin smiled at him softly. Michael always found a way to assist him when he needed it, and Gavin was relieved that he was able to lie beside him and return the favour.

“It's no problem,” he replied in a whisper, “I know you would do the same for me.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> feel free to hit me up on [tumblr](http://jacktapillo.tumblr.com/)


End file.
